These are very different.
Kind of like sun glasses but not.
No I would not wear these, but I can't tell if they are like high tech glasses I guess just from looking at them.
Maybe on the side you can tell something is going on here.
These look like they came out of the movie theater.
Like the 3D glasses you get, the arms a pretty thick, not a big fan of that for style.
They may be a little more masculine then I would go for, but I think you have to sacrifice somethings if you're gonna get certain technology.
[MUSIC]
These are the Bose frames, yes they are sunglasses but they also have micro speakers and microphones built into their frames and technically this is the smallest Bose audio system ever created.
The frames are a little bulkier than your typical glasses, they weigh a touch more but they don't feel too heavy.
Don't expect the two styles [UNKNOWN] is offering at launch to fit the same.
I'm wearing the alto style here, it's got a little bit squarer shape.
I do prefer its style, though it is a little bit big on my face.
The Rondo style fits me a little bit better, it's got a rounded style as its name implies, and it is designed for smaller faces.
Bose bills these as audio AR sunglasses, because in the near future, they will work with Bose's upcoming audio augmented reality platform.
It should be available by this summer.
Unlike video-based AR platforms, Bose AR delivers audio feedback based on your phones GPS location.
And what's cool is that a nine axis motion sensor built into the glasses lets apps know exactly which way you're facing.
Now you can use the frames to stream audio and make calls.
There are no volume controls on the frames, but there's a little multifunction button near the temple of the right frame that allows you to power on the glasses, pause your music, skip tracks forward and back, and answer and end calls.
And if you turn your glasses over and set them down for two seconds, they will automatically turn off.
So how do they sound?
Well, better than you might expect.
I was impressed.
But that doesn't mean they sound great.
This actually kinda feels like wearing over the ear headphones.
I don't know if it's because of the volume, the music quality, how they've managed to handle the electronics of this, but it's not like wearing in ear headphones where the music is really going in here and you can still kinda hear some of the outside.
This feels like I'm completely covered, and it's hard to hear stuff that's going on in the distance.
Now, this changes my perspective a little bit with how good it sounds, like maybe I would wear these if I didn't have to fumble with earphones if I charged something else.
Good, it's really good, actually.
It's interesting how I'm not actually wearing earbuds, and it's not actually covering my ear, because it feels like it is Sounds good but I don't know how loud is it that anybody else can hear it but it sounds like its pretty loud in my head the volume is about at sixty percent can't really hear it can't really hear it you can kinda hear it now it's really loud this is crazy While they don't sell quite as good as Apples Air Pods, they can play pretty loud, although they sound best at around 60 or 70% volume levels, not cranked to the max.
One of their best features is that even though they sound loud to you, they leak little sound so people around you can't hear your music or who you're speaking to on a call.
They do work well for making calls, and I was able to hear callers reasonably well in the streets of New York, even though my ears were open taking in all the sounds around me.
Battery life isn't great.
Bose says that at average listening levels, they run up to 3.5 hours for playback, and up to 12 hours on standby, and can be fully recharged in less than 12 hours using an included Pogo pin cable.
A pretty swanky protective cases included along with a cleaning cloth.
Alas, Bose doesn't offer prescription lenses for the frames yet, the lenses which aren't polarized but seem pretty decent, do pop out and you could get a prescription lens on your own.
Know that you will void the warranty if you do pop those lenses out.
They don't offer a high degree of water resistance.
They're IPX2 certified, but Bose reps told me I'd be okay to run with them.
And I could see people using them for running, and biking, and other pursuits where it's good to have your ears open so you can hear traffic and other sounds.
[MUSIC]
It's hard to give a full review of these guys without experiencing the upcoming AR features.
But I will say this is an interesting wearable that has a chance to shake up the audio market in the coming years.
I'm David Carnoy for CNET.
COM, thanks for watching.
[MUSIC]
